I heard this piece on the radio this morning and thought it was a little odd that someone thought it was useful to pitch the Bible this way -- strangely off key. But it might reach the odd person in some weird way. You never know.

I had a Picture Bible, which is the Bible in comic book form. When I was younger I read through it over and over. I credit it with really helping me get a feel for the whole flow of the Bible and help with knowing the general stories. Most Sunday school teaching is so individual verse oriented that so, so few people have a feel for the whole.

Most Sunday school teaching is so individual verse oriented that so, so few people have a feel for the whole.

While that may be the case in many churches today, Paddy, the Southern Baptist Church I first began Sunday School in taught through the Big Stories of the Bible every year - Adam & Eve, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Saul, David, etc - with a different story each week. It was on glossy published paper, so it must have been the same in many churches at that time.

The non-denominational evangelical church my family now attends does something quite similar in it's children Sunday School today.

Not sayin' it's the only way it's done, but there are a lot of churches that do.

Yes, Bible sales. The trade is not a complicated one; there're but two things to learn. One bein' where to find your wholesaler - word of God in bulk as it were. Two bein' how to reckanize your customer - who're you dealin' with? - an exercise in psychology so to speak.

Miss Brenda was my Sunday School Teacher from First through Fourth Grade, in the early 1960's. She was a black woman in her late 50's, and this was in small town South Carolina, in a town that was already integrated. She taught this white boy about Bible stories and about God's love for all of us, no matter what color we were born. I have remembered her lessons many times in my life.

I flew home to South Carolina for the first time in 21 years to go to Miss Brenda's funeral in 1996. When she passed she left 11 children, 46 grandchildren, and over 30 great grandchildren, and almost all of them were at the funeral. Over 400 people attended and I recognized over a dozen from my Sunday School classes. Miss Brenda was the sweetest, greatest woman I knew. I cried like a baby. After the funeral and the reception, I was asked to join her family at the private supper at the home of the oldest daughter and her husband. We all sat out back from dusk into late in the night telling stories about Miss Brenda, eating and drinking and laughing and singing until you just couldn't take any more. That was one of the great days of my life.

One other thing was interesting on Sundays. Most every other week the family would go out to eat dinner. Whenever an older woman of grandmotherly age, black or white, usually adorned in her Sunday Best after church would enter the Dining Room, all the men would stand. It was a sign of respect.

My wife just read my comment about Miss Brenda above and asked why, if she had so many children and a husband, she was called "Miss". It was because she was called Miss Brenda when she first started teaching Sunday School at 19 years old before she was married, and it just stuck all those years.

I am sometimes astounded by True Believers who want to fight over a false reading from some Bible verses. Cults come out of a false teaching of scripture + a better idea taught to twist the meaning to ensnare people who find pride in their special knowledge. But I also find great the power in the simple belief in scripture.It is worth the risk to read the Bible for yourself. Try the Gospel by Mark in a modern translation such as J B Phillips and see what you find.

Not sure where you're from B, but I'm from southeastern Georgia and all older ladies had the title of Miss. If you knew them well or if they were friends of the family then it was Miss and a first name. All other ladies were Miss and last name. I'm trying to teach my children to have the same respect, but it's the adults that refuse to be called Miss 'So-and-So' or Mr. "Whatshisface'.

WRT the targeted/marketed bible, the bible is always relevant and the two great commandments (or the whole ten) are a great way to conduct oneself. That the bible has to be reinterpreted and slickly packaged says more about our faults than the bible's faults.